11 killed as military plane crashes in Afghanistan

02/10/2015

(Reuters)

The Taliban has claimed to have shot down a C-130 military transport plane in eastern Afghanistan, with NATO confirming that 11 people including six US soldiers were killed.

NATO did not confirm the cause of the crash but it comes as Afghan forces – backed by NATO special forces and US air support – pushed into the centre of the northern city of Kunduz, captured by the Taliban on Monday (local time).

"Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.

"Based on credible information 15 invading forces and a number of puppet troops were killed."

The Taliban are known to make exaggerated battlefield claims, and NATO has so far not given details on the cause of the crash.

The C-130 crash, which occurred at about midnight on Friday, left six US soldiers and five civilian contractors dead, US Army Colonel Brian Tribus said.

The contractors had been working for "Resolute Support", the NATO-led training mission.

Jalalabad is situated on a key route from the Pakistani border region – where many militants are based – to Kabul, and it has been the scene of repeated attacks in recent years.

Its airport is home to a major military base.

Although NATO gave no immediate indications that the plane crash was due to militant action, Jalalabad airport has come under attack on several previous occasions.

Most NATO combat troops pulled out of Afghanistan last year but a small contingent remains, including roughly 10,000 American soldiers.

The US soldiers, along with other NATO troops and private contractors, are focusing on training Afghanistan's national security forces.